Dwight Eisenhower served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. Some key events during his presidency included the establishment and widespread use of the GI Bill, which helped millions of WWII veterans afford college or vocational training. The postwar period also saw the rise of suburban living and consumerism as well as the baby boom generation. New technologies like television and highways contributed to dramatic social and economic changes in 1950s America.

2. Born: Oct. 14, 1890, in Texas

3. Died: March 28, 1969, in Washington, D.C.

4. Education: Graduate of West Point

5. WWII:Supreme Allied Commander during WWII

6. 34th President: Republican, 1953 to 1961

8. GI BILL OF RIGHTS On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944" “GI Bill of Rights”

10. Gain higher education if you couldn’t afford one

11. Restore lost educational opportunities because of military service.

12. Enhance our nation through a more highly educated and productive work force

13. FDR signing the GI Bill of Rights into law.

15. Loans for a home, farm, or business

16. unemployment pay of $20 a week for 52 weeks

18. 2,230,000 in college

19. 3,480,000 in other schools

20. 1,400,000 in on-job training

21. 690,000 in farm trainingTotal cost of the World War II education program was $14.5 billion.

22. Suburban Living Levittown, L. I.: “The American Dream” 1949  William Levitt produced 150 houses per week. $7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.

23. Suburban Living:The New “American Dream” 1 story high 12’x19’ living room 2 bedrooms tiled bathroom garage small backyard front lawn By 1960  1/3 of the U. S. population in the suburbs.

24. Suburban Living SHIFTS IN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, 1940-1970 194019501960 1970 Central Cities 31.6% 32.3% 32.6% 32.0% Suburbs 19.5% 23.8% 30.7% 41.6% Rural Areas/ 48.9% 43.9% 36.7% 26.4% Small Towns U. S. Bureau of the Census.

25. Suburban LivingThe Typical TV Suburban Families Leave It to Beaver1957-1963 The Donna Reed Show1958-1966 Father Knows Best1954-1958 The Ozzie & Harriet Show1952-1966

29. full employment

30. a higher minimum wage

31. better farm price supports

32. New Tennessee Valley Administrations

35. Consumerism Americans were caught up in the “economic boom” that took place after WWII 1950 --> Introduction of the Diner’s Card

36. Consumerism Americans were becoming a consumer society…..Buying whatever new product that came out that would make their lives comfortable.

39. Television Family Shows --> glossy view of mostly middle-class suburban life. Wally and the Beav I Love Lucy Alice Kramden, The Honeymooners

40. Popular Culture Paperback books Reading Increase despite television—1 million copies a day Records Mass-marketed, inexpensive LP’s or 45’s Rock and Roll music becomes popular with teenagers

41. RISE OF THE TEENAGE CULTURE Elvis Presley Chuck Berry elvis

42. Teen Culture In the 1950s --> the word “teenager” entered the American language. 1956 --> 13 mil. teens with $7 billion to spend a year. 1951 --> “race music” --> “ROCK ‘N ROLL” Elvis Presley --> “The King”

43. Teen Culture “Happy Days” OR“Juvenile Delinquency”? Marlon Brando inThe Wild One (1953) James Dean inRebel Without a Cause (1955) Dobie Gillis

44. Popular Culture Role of Women Mass media reinforced traditional roles Lower wages in the workplace Social Critics Struggle against conformity Wanted increased social spending Beatniks Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg

45. Well-Defined Gender Roles Changing Sexual Behavior:Alfred Kinsey--> 1948 --> Sexual Behavior in the Human Male1953 --> Sexual Behavior in the Human Female * premarital sex was common. * extramarital affairs were frequent among married couples. Kinsey’s results are an assault on the family as a basic unit of society, a negation of moral law, and a celebration of licentiousness. -- Life magazine, early 1950s

47. Against traditional values of the Great Depressions and WWII generation (their parents)

49. Well-Defined Gender Roles Theideal 1950’s manwas the provider, protector, and the boss of the house. -- Life magazine, 1955 1956 --> William H. Whyte, Jr. --> The Organization Man * a middle-class, white suburban male is the ideal. Young Gentleman Family Man The Provider

50. Religious Revival Today in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in the center of things. -- Time magazine, 1954 Church membership: 1940 --> 64,000,000 1960 --> 114,000,000 Television Preachers 1. Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen --> “Life is Worth Living” 2. Methodist Minister Norman Vincent Peale --> The Powerof Positive Thinking 3. Reverend Billy Graham --> ecumenical message; warned against the evils of Communism.

51. Progress Through Science 1951 -- First IBM Mainframe Computer 1952 -- Hydrogen Bomb Test 1953 -- DNA Structure Discovered 1954 -- Salk Vaccine Tested for polio 1957 -- First Commercial U. S. Nuclear Power Plant 1958 -- NASA Created (National Aeronautical Space Administration) 1959 -- Press Conference of the First 7 American Astronauts

52. Highway Act of 1956 42,000 miles of interstate highways linking major cities Improve national defense Good for jobs, trucking Bad for the poor, public transportation

54. The Culture of the Car America became a more homogeneous nation because of the automobile. First McDonald’s (1955) Drive-In Movies Howard Johnson’s

55. The Culture of the Car Car registrations: 1945 --> 25,000,000 1960 --> 60,000,000 2-family cars doubles from 1951-1958 1956 -->Federal Interstate Highway Act--> largest public works project in American history! * Cost $32 billion * 41,000 miles of new highways built

56. The Culture of the Car 1959 Chevy Corvette 1958 Pink Cadillac

57. The Culture of the Car 1955 --> Disneyland opened in Southern California. (40% of the guests came from outside California, most by car.) Frontier Land Main Street Tomorrow Land

59. NE & Mid-W ---> S & SW (“Sunbelt” states)